I had hoped to both clean the garage and apply the Danish oil stain to my Cherry boards yesterday, but after working in the garden for an hour it was still a little chilly outside so I instead waited until three o’clock to clean the garage and vacuum up as much dust as I could and then wait for today to do the stain. That way I didn’t feel like I had to rush. I could take my time and avoid runs, splotches and missed areas, or overlaps that get darker than everywhere else the stain was applied.
Teens out my choice of darker stain on Cherry might have been a bad choice, but I wanted it darker right away, and given we’re heading into winter didn’t think the UV rays would enrich the natural tones fast enough for my liking. I think a deeper amber, reddish brown after a year or two will look even better. All of our current furniture is dark, so I went with it.
I will come back to assemble it on Tuesday or Wednesday. That should be more than enough time for the stink to wear off a little while it dries undisturbed. Once I get it assembled and make the last two cuts for the centre shelves to fit just right I will then come back to wipe on, buff off the Osmo clear coat protective finish. I took some lengthy breaks so I hope to finish this by November 2nd, if not by October 31st. All I will say is that it’ll be completed before we reach 2027, how about that?
I wore a respirator whilst staining and I had a big box fan acting as an exhaust fan too. But you know what? Still smelly and still makes me feel a little lighter on my feet than I should. At least I tried to mitigate the fumes before putting myself in the centre of them. I think a nice little scuff of the finish with a 400 grit pad will allow the Osmo to really shine once applied next week. We’re going to put up the inlaws Halloween decorations later today, so I did my part before putting this furniture project down for a few days.
Up next, laundry and more cleaning up. The friend I helped out the other day wound up renting a garbage bin because the plywood and strapping we pulled off the walls and out of his garage ceiling weren’t worth reusing like he had originally planned. So since he had only a half full bin he let me bring a few items over to help fill it up. I got rid one one 100L garbage bag of random junk, a big waxed box from old fair veggie entries, two busted bean bag chairs, a broken child’s camping chair, and a twenty year old ceased weed eater that I think I ran on straight gas with no oil mix, and I welded the piston into the shaft in 2006. I have this crappy wire racking in our cold storage room, but getting in there is a hug hassle, and I hadn’t planned on doing the mini purge, so I got out what I could. Maybe the neighbour that takes scrap metal will take it off my lawn if I put it out in another week or two?
I was so in the mood to clean after that I took a shot at the pantry and cleared that up a bunch. So many old spoiled bags of nuts, and out of date oatmeal pouches. I wonder at all the things we buy and then forget about until it starts to take up vital space in our lives. I’m just trying to keep this place from looking like a hoarders episode. When I pass I don’t want others to waste weekends of their lives sorting out my shit. I keep the good stuff, and some sentimental items. No storage lockers or off site deposits of junk for me! As I continue reading, I’ll have to sweep through my books again. The wardrobe is a constant struggle, same with all of the kids clothes. Holiday decorations & lights too. Bah! I could cull more paintings of my own too. I’ve kept crappy canvases just because I did them in college nearly 30 years ago. I should paint over them with white and try something new if I’m going to keep them around for much longer.
Started with the furniture build and I’m back to talking about purging the house — again. May I never change! Ha.
